It’s almost as if the Celtics' roster is too strong for its own good. When you literally pillage another NBA franchise, it makes sense that you'd have more talent than you’d know what to do with.
But Brad Stevens didn’t build his current coaching acumen on the backs of talented rosters. He built it on backs with sizes ranging from Amir Johnson to Isaiah Thomas, with players who could only shoot to guys who couldn’t shoot a lick. Despite being deprived of Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward, Stevens’ crew thrived in the playoffs last season. It’s almost as if he makes more with less.
Considering their arsenal of talent, the Celtics' recent offensive struggles are perplexing. The opening-day starting lineup featured three players who made the All-Star team in the last two seasons (Hayward, Irving and Al Horford) and two more players who are widely considered to be among the best young players in the association (Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown).
The lineup looked great on paper but, my god, do these players complement each other poorly. Brown and Tatum are too good to be relegated to shooting alternatives on the wing. Other players of similar prestige and draft capital — think Luka Doncic — have inherited playmaking roles and usage rates that trounce those of the young Celtics who both rank deep in the 100s of player usage overall. Put either of them on the Bulls instead of Zach LaVine and watch them grow like Chia Pets.
The "instant offense" label falls to Irving, and his efficiency numbers this season are on track with his career average, with a true field goal percentage of .568. For Hayward, the same can’t be said. There is a universal chalking it up to his absolutely gruesome injury from last season, but Hayward is at his best when handed the keys to the offense. Attempting only 9.2 shots per game, Hayward isn’t even hitting his wide open ones, and it got so bad that Hayward was removed from the starting lineup in favor of Tommy Heinsohn’s favorite, Aron Baynes. Playing with two centers is fine, until you realize it isn’t 1985.
Speaking of centers, Horford is perhaps unfairly not holding up his jack-of-all-trades reputation. But when you’re getting paid $28.9 million, you can get criticized. He has to stretch the floor, rebound, defend the rim, run the offense through the high post and finish at the basket all at once in a Draymond Green-esque fashion. Al's win shares per 48 minutes is his lowest since the 2011–12 season.
The pre-Durant Warriors, with arguably less talent than this crop of Celtics, could cover for each other's deficiencies. The Celtics have four similarly cast players, leaving one big man in the middle gasping for air. You may not think it's a problem until you realize the Celtics are 11–10 and just lost at home to the Knicks.
The Anti-Bostonian: The case against the Celtics' progress
